TRIC Robotics raises seed funding to help farmers control pests and plant disease - The Robot Report

TRIC Robotics, a company specializing in autonomous pest and plant disease control, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to scale its robotic solutions for specialty crop farming, beginning with strawberries—a crop known for high labor demands and heavy pesticide use. Their flagship robot, Luna, operates at tractor scale and uses ultraviolet light to destroy pests and pathogens, alongside vacuum technology to remove insects, all without chemicals. This approach aims to reduce pesticide use significantly, with pilot programs reporting up to a 70% reduction, while helping farmers meet sustainability goals and manage labor costs. The company offers its technology as a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model, which includes a data-driven platform featuring vision systems and real-time field analytics to improve farm profitability and produce chemical-free crops. TRIC Robotics has already deployed nine robots, doubling its fleet in the past year, and plans to expand operations into additional California farming regions such as Oxnard and Watsonville. The new funding, led by Version One Ventures and